{"id":11388,"date":"2016-12-27T14:25:47","date_gmt":"2016-12-27T19:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/?p=11388"},"modified":"2016-12-27T14:25:47","modified_gmt":"2016-12-27T19:25:47","slug":"dating-and-waiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/2016\/12\/27\/dating-and-waiting\/","title":{"rendered":"Dating and Waiting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I was exploring some different topics on Pinterest when a recommended pin popped up with this text:<\/p>\n

\u201cImagine a man so focused on God that the only reason he looked up to see you is because he heard God say, \u201cThat\u2019s her.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I liked the quote so much that I wrote it on some floral paper and stuck it in my journal.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m 34 years old, have an advanced degree, and a job I love. Would I like to get married? Of course! Having a loving and supportive husband would be an answer to thousands of prayers. I\u2019ve talked to God about dating and married since I was 12. Those conversations have ranged from, \u2018God, I\u2019m waiting. Where is he?\u2019 to \u2018God, thank-you for the wisdom of your timing.\u2019<\/p>\n

I can very clearly see a major<\/em> flaw in my thinking. I considered the man who met all the \u201crequirements\u201d on my \u201cmust have\u201d list to be a kind of reward for good behavior.<\/em> If I attended enough church services, our eyes would meet across the sanctuary during the Christmas candle-light service.\u00a0 If I signed up for enough missions trips, I\u2019d see him<\/em> landing a plane in a remote jungle airstrip. If I do<\/em> enough, if I sacrifice <\/em>enough\u2026 \u00a0Imagine my disappointment when none of these things happened. And follow my flawed thinking to my flawed conclusion: God is withholding His blessings because I\u2019m not \u201cgood enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I was a teen I read books like I Kissed Dating Goodbye<\/strong> and Lady in Waiting<\/strong>.\u00a0 I signed a pledge with True Love Waits when I was 14. Somewhere in the middle of those pages, youth group meetings, and rallies, the desire for the \u201cperfect\u201d Christian boyfriend\/husband became my idol<\/em>. I went to a Christian college where I met the \u201cperfect\u201d Christian boyfriend and that relationship went down in flames (along with my self-esteem). Since then I\u2019ve casually dated, but nothing ever felt right.<\/p>\n

I came across the page in my journal where I wrote out the quote. I thought about it for a while.<\/p>\n

Then I wrote below:<\/p>\n

Imagine being so focused on God that the only reason you look up to see him is because you heard God say, \u2018That\u2019s him!\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n